Barangay Balud

Barangay Balud forms part of Santa Margarita, a municipality in Samar, and is classified as a mid-sized barangay.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Balud had a population of 2,109. This made it the 4th largest of 36 barangays in Santa Margarita by population, placing it among the most populous barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Balud accounted for approximately 7.86% of the total population of Santa Margarita, which stood at 26,816 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Balud changed from 1,981 to 2,109, a shift of +6.5% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Santa Margarita. Barangay Balud is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Santa Margarita is a municipality comprising 36 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Balud, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Samar, which contains 951 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Balud ranks 54th by 2020 population. Samar is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.